Tottenham tell Sunderland Tom Huddlestone is not for sale

26 Jun 2009 10:11:58

Bruce has arrived at the Stadium of Light to be handed a sizeable transfer kitty and he has ambitious plans to overhaul a squad that narrowly missed out on relegation from the Premier League last season after Ricky Sbragia took over the helm following Roy Keane's departure.
The former Wigan manger, also interested in signing Portsmouth's Peter Crouch, is a long time admirer of Huddlestone, who has been named in one of Fabio Capello's full England squads already.
The 22-year-old would be in Sweden representing England Under-21s in the European Championships at present but was forced to pull out after a knee operation.
Despite his obvious talents Huddlestone was not been a first team regular at White Hart Lane under Redknapp though the manager insists he is not for sale, according to a report in the Independent newspaper.
A number of players will be moved on this summer to free up the wage bill and provide additional funds for some ambitious squad building planned at the club.
Redknapp was close to signing Gareth Barry before he moved to Manchester City while inquiries have been made over the availability of Joe Cole at Chelsea.
However, despite looking to improve numbers in midfield, with Wigan's Lee Cattermole also on the radar, Bruce will be warned off Huddlestone.
Cattermole, an England Under-21 colleague of Huddlestone, would likely be available for around £7 million and Redknapp is interested as he looks to beef up a perceived soft centre to his side.